The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-01-20
MOST PERFECT MADE
INTERSTATE COMMERCE BILL.

INTERSTATE COMMERCE BILL.
There may be seen elsewhere in The
STATESMAN this morning, a strong On
dorsement of the provisions of the inter
state commerce bill, and of Judge Reag
ans course in regard to it, from the pen
of a correspondent of the Mobile Regis
ter.
The enthusiastic correspondent can go
no further than TIE STATESMAN in accord
ing Judge Reagan credit for his long
and ardent devotion to the passage of
bill looking to the control of interstate
commerce by national legislation. But
for his constant attention and earnest
perseverance, the bill would probably
have been delayed in becoming a law for
some years. AS we most heartily approve
of national control of the commerce of
the country, by some mild and tentative
measure like the present bill, ard believe
much benefit TO the roads and to COM
merce will result from such legislation, we
feel considerable pride in the con
nection that the eminent representative
from Texas has with the bill. One reason
of our constant support of Judge Terrell
for the position of United States senator
has been our hearty accord with his views
of Interstate commerce legislation.
The provisions of the bill as modified
in the conference conmittee, especially as
to the long and short hauls, are such as to
warrant the confident hope that its prac-
tical operations will prove highly bene-
fetal to the country. In this connection
we had as well give our readers in brief
form the main provisions of the bill.
SIT requires that all charges for the
transportation of freight and passengers
shall be reasonable and just"
1t prohibits unjust preferences in favor
of or discrimination against persons OF
localities by "any special rate, rebate
drawback or other Device"
1t prohibits pooling agreements be-
tween competing lines.
1t requires every company to make al
its rates public and forbids any advance
of charges without ten days notice. NJ
company is allowed to receive more thar
its established and published rates while
they remain in force.
For every violation of the law a corpo
ration is rendered liable in damages tt
the person or persons injured, and the of
fcers are subjected to @ heavy fine
More over, an offending company may b.
compelled by mandamus to comply will
the law or restrained by injunction from
violating it."
AS the provision in relation to lonl
and short hauls has given rise to mos
anxious thought, both on the part of tn
friends and opponents of the bill, W
quote the exact language of the claus
in reference to this ma tier: sit shall b
unlawful for any common carrier subjec
to the provisions of this act, to charge 0
receive any greater compensation in tn
aggregate for the transportation of pas
sengers or of like kind of property, un
der substantially similar circumstance
and conditions, for shorter than for
longer distance over the same line in tn
same direction, the shorter being include
in the longer distance"
Senator Cullom, to whose intelligen
labors we are so much indebted for tn
present phraseology of this clause, yer
briefly explained in the debate upon tn
bill, that the words and phrases are ful
of meaning and furnish ell the elacticit,
necessary to successful railroa
management.
Those who have opposed so strongl
the passage of this bill, because of its re
strIctions upon transportation charges
confuse in their minds the attempt t.
regulate rates SO that the aggregate cos
of transportation for short distanc
shall not exceed the cost for long dis
lance, with the designto enforce the sam
rate for short and long distances. Rsgu
lating the aggregate charge is not to b
COMPOUNDED with fixing the rate per mile
1t is just and rational for congress to de
clare that railroad company shall no
charge more for carrying given amour
of freight a short distance over the sam
line in the same direction than it charge
for carrying exactly the same thing
long distance under like conditions, whei